Tom Brady’s high school coach says NFL star’s retirement came as a surprise

Tom Brady’s high school football coach has revealed he was ‘caught by surprise’ on Tuesday after the Tampa Bay Bucs quarterback announced he was officially retiring from the NFL. 

Tom MacKenzie, who previously told DailyMail.com how Brady ‘was slow as molasses’ and had ‘baby fat’ as a student athlete, admitted he thought his former star player at Junipero Serra High would play ‘at least one more year’ before quitting the league.

Speaking to DailyMail.com almost exactly seven years after his first interview, MacKenzie said that while he was shocked by Brady’s retirement, he supports the athlete’s decision to move on.   

‘Tom’s had a wonderful career. If he said it was time to move on with other projects, then I’m sure it’s what he really needs to do,’ the former coach said in the wake of the announcement Tuesday.  

‘I wish him the very best. I hope all his dreams and wishes come true for him and his family. I’m happy for him.

‘The retirement caught me surprise, I thought he had at least one more year in him, but I respect his decision,’ he added.   

MacKenzie, now 75, had a hand in grooming Brady to be a pro-athlete when the football star was a junior and senior at Junipero Serra High School in San Mateo, California in 1994 and 1995. 

The retired coach would go on to watch all of his former quarterback’s games every NFL season, including Brady’s final match – and loss – against the Los Angeles Rams, which he described as heartbreaking. 

‘It’s always hard when you end your career on a loss,’ he said. 

‘You always hope your last experience would be victory. Tom hated to lose.’

He continued: ‘I feel honored and privileged to have been in his life. He’s not only a great football player but a great person as well.’ 

Brady finally announced his retirement on Tuesday after days of rumors and speculation – marking the end to an extraordinary professional career that saw him win seven Super Bowl titles and eight MVP awards.

In a lengthy statement shared on social media, the 44-year-old said he was leaving the league to ‘focus my time and energy on other things that require my attention.’  

He thanked his teammates and coaches as well as his supermodel wife Gisele Bundchen and his children, who he described as his ‘inspiration’ and ‘greatest achievement.’  

Brady began his NFL career in 2000, when he was drafted by the New England Patriots as a sixth-round pick, after playing two years of college football at the University of Michigan. 

He played for the Patriots for 20 seasons, leading them to nine Super Bowls championships before signing with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2020 where he played his final two seasons. 

The star quarterback, who holds several NFL records including the most Super Bowl titles with seven wins, will be a shoo-in first time selection for the Pro Football Hall of Fame in five years when he becomes eligible for the honor. 

MacKenzie said he plans on reaching out to Brady in the next few days and congratulating him on his retirement and the great career he has had.     

He also hopes to be at the Hall of Fame induction ceremony of his former player. 

‘I’ll be reaching out to Tom in the next few days now that he’s announced his retirement. I want to wait for the dust to settle. I’ll congratulate him on his career and his family,’ the former coach added. 

‘I always thought he had the potential to be a pro football player, but at the time I never thought I’d be coaching the future greatest football player to every play the game. 

‘Tom was by far the hardest working and most prepared player I’ve ever coached. I never had to tell him to prepare for a game.’ 

Mackenzie retired from coaching high school football in 2000 and his job as a school counselor in 2012. He now lives in the Sacramento area. 

He previously spoke to DailyMail.com in 2015 amid the infamous ‘Deflategate’ controversy surrounding Brady at the time, admitting he had high praise for the athlete nonetheless. 

‘He was an all-American kid. He kept his nose clean. His parents expected him to represent the family name, be respectful, honest,’ MacKenzie said at the time.

‘His parents did a great job raising him. He was the baby of the family but he was never spoiled and he learned to treat people the way he wanted to be treated.

‘I think he did a nice job of remembering where he came from. The only difference between the Tom Brady you see now and when I had him is that he was a teenager then. He’s a good player but he’s a far better person.’ 

MacKenzie revealed everyone initially thought Brady was bound for a professional career in baseball in high school and that he had a rocky start playing football his sophomore year. 

But after losing his ‘baby fat’ and growing a couple inches, he began to show accuracy and and ‘could throw a fade route as good as the varsity quarterback,’ he said. 

‘I knew during his sophomore year, as I watched him that he was going to be my quarterback right away. No one was able to compete for that starting job,’ MacKenzie said. 

‘He had an arm and I felt that if he did the right things to improve, there was a strong possibility for him to play major college football.

‘Boy, was I wrong! He went straight to the top.’